Spencer and the plateau
Spencer is the county seat, a town of about 1,460 on the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau, just above the Caney Fork valley. Founded in 1850 and named for long hunter Thomas Sharp Spencer, it is home to the county government and Van Buren County Schools, and it serves as the town nearest Fall Creek Falls State Park.
| Communities we serve | Spencer and the surrounding area |
|---|---|
| Main highways | SR 30 - main route through town, linking McMinnville (W) and Pikeville (E), SR 111 - crosses eastern Spencer, linking Sparta/Cookeville (N) and Dunlap (S) |
| Neighboring Middle Tennessee counties | Sequatchie, Warren, White |
That park covers more than 26,000 acres in Van Buren and Bledsoe counties and includes Fall Creek Falls, a 256-foot waterfall. Around it and around Spencer, the county is rural plateau land with homes and farms scattered along its roads.
- Spencer and its downtown
- Homes and rentals near Fall Creek Falls State Park
- Farms and rural homes across the plateau
- Unincorporated plateau communities wherever they are
Roads and travel
State routes 30 and 111 are the county's main roads. SR 30 runs through Spencer between McMinnville and Pikeville, and SR 111 crosses eastern Spencer between Sparta and Cookeville to the north and Dunlap to the south. Park visitors, residents and through traffic all use them, so vehicles occasionally need cleanup after an incident.
Other needs are likely to involve homes: a death or illness discovered later than anyone would want, rodent droppings in a house that sat empty, a septic backup, or a rental between tenants.
Because the county is small in population and large in land, some property owners live elsewhere. We can arrange access through a neighbor or manager and describe the work by phone.
Service from the Nashville area
We have no office on the plateau; we are mobile and based in the Nashville area. Call 615-513-5112 at any hour, and we will be honest about travel time while we plan the visit. We bring protective equipment, containment supplies and EPA-registered disinfectants used per label, and we explain scope before work begins. After a death, we start only once the Van Buren County medical examiner has authorized removal and the property is released. Sparta, about 14 miles north, and McMinnville, about 19 miles west, are served the same way.
Services available throughout Van Buren County
- Blood & Bodily Fluid Cleanup — Removal and disinfection of blood, urine, vomit, feces and other bodily fluids from homes, businesses and vehicles.
- Unattended Death Cleanup — Careful, private cleanup after a death that went undiscovered, including decomposition fluids, odor and affected materials.
- Crime Scene Cleanup — Cleanup after law enforcement releases a scene — blood, fingerprint powder, tear gas residue and damage from forced entry.
- Trauma Scene Cleanup — Respectful cleanup after suicides, serious injuries and accidents at home or at work.
- Drug Residue Cleanup — Decontamination of homes, rentals and vehicles where methamphetamine, fentanyl or other drugs were used.
- Sharps & Needle Cleanup — Safe collection and disposal of discarded needles, syringes and drug paraphernalia from properties and public areas.
- Homeless Encampment Cleanup — Coordinated, respectful cleanup of vacated encampments, squatter sites, garages and alleys for property owners.
- Hoarding Cleanup — Patient, judgment-free cleanouts of hoarded and gross-filth homes, including animal hoarding situations.
- Animal Waste & Rodent Cleanup — Cleanup of rodent droppings, bird and bat guano, raccoon latrines, pet waste and dead animals.
- Sewage Cleanup — Cleanup and disinfection after sewage backups, toilet overflows, septic failures and Category 3 water.
- Infectious Disease Decontamination — Targeted cleaning and disinfection with EPA-registered products after illnesses such as norovirus, MRSA or C. diff.
- Vehicle Biohazard Cleanup — Biohazard cleanup for personal cars, rideshare vehicles, fleets, buses, police cars and ambulances.
- Commercial Biohazard Cleanup — Biohazard response for property managers, hotels, healthcare, schools, gyms, restaurants and other workplaces.
- Odor Removal & Deodorization — Source-focused odor removal after decomposition, smoke, pet urine or sewage, with deodorization where appropriate.
- Disinfection & Sanitization — Post-incident and scheduled disinfection using EPA-registered products and appropriate application methods.